Programs

Adoption SF  

There are hundreds of children and youth in the foster care system in San Francisco County who need a family just like yours. Without an adoption, many will remain in the foster care system and may never have the chance to have a permanent family.

You can change a life by adopting a child and Adoption SF can help you make that connection with a wonderful child or sibling group who is waiting for your love.

Family Builders welcomes traditional families; single-parent families; both men and women; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families; transracial and multiracial families; and all other families as prospective adoptive parents.

Family Builders is committed to serving all families equally with dignity and respect. We provide all services in English and Spanish and welcome monolingual Spanish-speaking families.

All you need is a big heart and the ability to provide for your family materially and emotionally.

Join us for an Adoption SF orientation meeting at one of our two locations.

San Francisco

Time: Every second Tuesday of the month, 6pm- 8pm
Address: Teen Room, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, 800 Presidio Ave., San Francisco

Oakland

Time: Every first Saturday of the month, 9:45am - 12pm
Address: Family Builders office, 1900 Embarcadero, Suite 303, Oakland

For more information call Adopt SF at 888–732–4453 or Family Builders at 510-536-5437 or log on to the official Adoption SF website.

Adoption Through Foster Care  

Our core program, "Foster To Adoption", focuses on guiding families through the adoption process for children who are in foster care and available to be adopted. From orientation to trainings to home studies and post-placement/adoption-adoption support, Family Builders prepares and supports couples and single parents to meet the needs of children waiting to be adopted.

California Kids Connection  

California Kids Connection features California foster children who need permanent, loving, adoptive families. Before you can be considered as an adoptive family, you must complete an approved homestudy. Go to http://www.cakidsconnection.org/ to access the program.

Family Advocacy/Family Acceptance Projects  

Family Advocacy/Family Acceptance projects are designed to provide a continuum of services to support LGBTQ and gender non-conforming youth and their families to ensure stable, permanent placements. These projects are currently providing services in Alameda and San Francisco Counties. In fiscal year 2013/2014, Family Builders served 13 children and youth in the Family Advocacy Projects.

Older Youth Permanency  

The vast majority of youth in the foster care system are older than 9 years of age. As children grow older in the system their chances for adoption are slim. At Family Builders, however, we believe that every child is adoptable.

Someday, these older children might be part of a loving family, but only if you make it happen. They need someone to provide the love and support that can only come from a parent. Someone to celebrate their achievements, console them when they fall, and sometimes just be there to listen. The older youth in foster care bring joy as well as resiliency and life experience to their permanent families.

Older children need families. Don’t let them leave foster care – “age out” -- without a permanent family. Imagine facing the world alone, without a parent to lean on, with nowhere to go for the holidays and nobody to call in emergencies.

When youth age out of the system at 18 without a permanent family, within 2-4 years:

  • 25% are incarcerated
  • 40% are homeless
  • Over 50% are unemployed

When kids get permanent families they:

  • Are 50% more likely to perform at grade level Are twice as likely to complete college
  • Are far less likely to be arrested or become homeless
  • Have fewer health problems.

Please consider providing a permanent family for older youth – this is our greatest need. Family Builders is here to answer all your questions and help you decide if adoption is right for you. Our services are free and our staff will respect your privacy and your decisions. Our only goal is to help build loving families. If you do adopt, we will help you every step of the way. To find out more information call 510-536-5437 or click here to email us.

Pride and Joy  

All young people need the love and unconditional acceptance. Children need to be part of a family. They need loving adults to care for them and guide them through life. They must have a safe place to live and all the necessities life requires. Sadly, many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth end up alone and unwanted. Rejected by their birth families and by potential foster parents because of the sexual orientation or gender identity, these youth survive in a system that cannot adequately fulfill the role of parent or family.

LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, and are more likely than other foster youth to be placed in group homes and other congregate care facilities. Many have been the victims of violence and all have been the victims of verbal abuse. Between 25% and 40% of homeless and runaway youth identify as LGBTQ. They are at a higher risk of substance abuse than other youth in foster care.

Be a parent for an LGBTQ youth.

We need people – gay, straight, young and old, women and men, couples and singles – to open their hearts and homes to be a permanent family. Family Builders will prepare you to be a great parent to an LGBTQ youth. You can help LGBTQ youth by opening your heart and home to become a foster or adoptive parent. Family Builders will prepare you to provide LGBTQ youth with safety and stability. Your family will receive a stipend to help defray the costs of fostering a youth in your care, and you will be a welcomed member of our community of families, who all receive ongoing support from each other and from our highly experienced clinical staff. To find out more call 510-536-5437 or click here to email a Family Builders representative.

We need everybody—gay or straight—to step up to provide safe and stable care in an accepting and welcoming family environment for our LGBTQ youth.

 
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